Villagersonline : blogs : eric : Blogging Thoughs

From: eric
Date: Wed Feb 25 10:55:37 MST 2004
Subject: Blogging Thoughs

Responses
stevek: fasting (2/25/04)
Karen: Abstinence, part II? (2/25/04)

derek: fasting (2/26/04)

mike: No Subject (2/27/04)

keibru: woop woop (2/27/04)

eric: Why I posted Doug's Thoughts (2/27/04)

Responses (sorted by date)
eric: Why I posted Doug's Thoughts (2/27/04)
keibru: woop woop (2/27/04)
mike: No Subject (2/27/04)
derek: fasting (2/26/04)
Karen: Abstinence, part II? (2/25/04)
stevek: fasting (2/25/04)

Fasting Mocks the Starving?
Maybe I am just hungry, but I wonder if fasting mocks the starving of the world the way camping mocks the homeless.
There are people all over the world begging, praying and working for a bed. Then some guy with a really nice bed decides to leave it for a few days for the fun of sleeping on the ground. Like it is entertainment.
Do we truly enter the life of the hungry when we are not eating on purpose, in the midst of so much good food. Is there a single starving person in the world who would not at a moments notice eat the very food in my kitchen that I am choosing not to eat.
Is it some how irreligious to declare on Ash Wednesday that Fat Tuesday is my favorite holiday?
-Dough Pagitt

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From: stevek
Date: Wed Feb 25 15:13:53 MST 2004
Subject: fasting

If I'm getting sucked in by what was intended to be a tongue-in-cheek blog, then I confess to being successfully taken for a sucker. But on the assumption that the blog about fasting was an attempt at being serious, I believe it totally misses the point of fasting (camping, as well, but that reference was just a poor try at building a metaphor - camping does not mock the homeless.) The purpose of fasting is not to "enter the life of the hungry." The purpose is to enter a deeper place of spirituality through the process of denial for a period. The 'fast' therefore does not have to be from food, but from anything which would otherwise distract one's attention from God. Food is commonly used, but not as a means by which to build empathy for those in our midst who are hungry. We pray, but not to mock those who cannot speak. We pray in order to commune verbally (and auditorally) with our God. We worship through song not to mock those who cannot carry a tune, but to honor our God. We (those of you who can) worship through art not to mock those (me) who can't draw a straight line, but to use the gifts the Lord has given us to honor Him.If the author of the blog fasts in order to step into the life of the hungry, his understanding of fasting is wrong, and his method of achieving his goal is indeed shallow.

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From: Karen
Date: Wed Feb 25 15:15:35 MST 2004
Subject: Abstinence, part II?

Yeah, it reminds me of a conversation that several of us single folks had at the Applebee's a couple of Sundays ago, where we complained about the so-called dilemma of the guy in "Forty Days and Forty Nights" who had to stretch to abstain from sexual activity that long. (I don't know if there was some kind of point to that film, other than comical; that's all we knew from watching the trailer.) Hey, that could be *my* plan for Lent!!
The point of fasting seems to be to remind us that there's something spiritual, something mystical to be gained from giving up something "of this world" by choice. It's also a way of becoming conscious about the other, less-obvious things that we might already be giving up, or what remains to give up for the greater good.

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From: derek
Date: Wed Feb 25 22:30:52 MST 2004
Subject: fasting

I think what he is getting at, or at least, I hope he is getting at is that fasting needs to be more than skipping a meal. To take it back to the singleness discussion, there is a difference between "not getting any" and being celibate. Fasting, abstinance, and prayer should become a way of life. It is how we dedicate ourselves to serving our God, not in terms of how the world operates, but by becoming essentially useless and broken. In that sense, I agree with the blog completely, because if all we are doing is skipping meals to be holy, we are mocking the hungry.
How do we eat when we don't fast? I think that is the true test of our spiritual walks. I overeat a lot. For me to go from overeating to fasting and back again, I probably am mocking the hungry. But, if I am living a life of fasting, not just "cutting back on meals," but giving over all my desires to God, it becomes slightly different. Take the fast beyond the ritual and live in it. Give the extra food, time, energy, etc. over to those people who do need it. How hard could it be? :) Are we really fasting, or just skipping a meal for a spiritual high then going back to everyday life? Or alternatively, how nice are our beds? Mine is waaay too comfortable.

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From: mike
Date: Thu Feb 26 17:47:54 MST 2004
Subject:

As for me, I do not feel any guilt having an abundance of food. I am very aware of the suffering in our country, and othor nations. I feel for them, and do what I can. It is stretch to call fasting, or camping a mockery of the poor. By the way, I have been homeless and hungry.
Knowing Eric, he ment to start a dialog. He is probably sitting in his office smiling to himself.

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From: keibru
Date: Thu Feb 26 19:36:43 MST 2004
Subject: woop woop

steve's first idea was the best of all of them: sucker punched, all of ya. this is just some guy's version of the largely meaningless drivel I tack together on my toilet roll tubes.
k

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From: eric
Date: Fri Feb 27 10:20:07 MST 2004
Subject: Why I posted Doug's Thoughts

Often, I think Americans are not connected to their spiritual practice, and they certainly don't appreciate the blessings offered to them in this country. I would have to agree with Keith, the comments of Doug are intended as a sucker punch to force us to reflect, but I also think sucker punching is a good profession . . . that's why I like Keith's "toilet roll" rants, they often say a lot more than he intended them to. Here is link to one of his most recent: Nothing Makes Sense

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